The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-01
WHEELMEN AND CENTR AL PARK
Shall the Bicyclers be Allowed in the
Public Pleasure Grounds?

NEW York, July 30.-The League of
American Wheelmon and the New York
Park Commissioners are not on the best of
terms, although the wheelmen are willing
to bury the hatchet and smoke the pipe of
peace The city officials seem to imagine,
however, that the Ratchet already has been
buried-in the. skull of the disgruntled com
mission. The geptlemen who rule the public
pleasure grounds resented the efforts Of the
| wheelmen to get their bicycles and trlcycles
| legally recognized as vehicles and bitterly
opposed the bill giving them that recogni-
| ton. Nobody else opposed it, and the bill
became a law The only objection to the
| bill IN the minds of the Commissioners was
| that it seemed to curtail their powers as
rulers absolute of the parks and all who
| visit them.
The wheelmen, having no feeling against
| these gentlemen, abstaiIed from exercising
their new legal privileges and asked the
| commissioners to make suitable regulations
of cycling in Central Park, courteously of
fcrng TO send committee to confer with
| them. But the commissioners paid no at
| tention TO the offer and did not even answer
the letter in which it was made. To pro-
| tect themselves the wheelmen served a GER
| titled copy of the now law upon the com
| miSsionerS, vino would not even admit that
| they knew of its existence. Then, instead of
meeting the bicyclers in an amicable man
ner, the commission referred tho law to the
| Corporation Counsel and when he said the
| law was all right they curtly announced
!, th9t the park was open to wheelmen.
80, y, i .s, wheelmen wanted to suggest that
,P ,g, riding more than two abreast, and
~ fPuupgerous practices should be prohib-
~ ior der that reckless riders might not
L., e'; ~ lisances of themselves and bring
a. az 20 ,, 1t upon wheelmen in general, but
I TO them. A prominent wheelman says of
| this action: ut looks as though the Com
missioners felt sore and wantod the bicyclers
| TO have free rein, in order that
some trouble may occur through reck-
less or incompetent riding that will
| give them an excuse for pointing to the
| bad results of the law. The wheelmen do
! not want to antagonize the commission, and
| the league will be foremost i'll prosecuting
any bicycler who violates any law of the
| road. in tho park or elsewhere. The com
| missioners would have added to their dig
nifty and commanded more respect by meet
| ing the leagues officers courteously and
accepting their offer to suggest some salu-
| tary rules for the government of bicycling
| in the park. instead Of acting like
| suky schoolboys. Why, as soon as it was
| known that the Governor hal signed
the bill the police were instructed to
| rigidly enforce all the old ordinances
against velocipedes and officers were sent
expressly to anoy bicyclers i'll the vicinity
OF the park On Eighth avenue, outside
the parE, there is wide sidewalk but little
frequented by pedestrians in the afternoon.
| An Instructor was in the habit of taking
| pupils up there to teach them to balance
their machines. 1t annoyed nobody and
these pupils were not in any persons way
But the very day after the bill was signed
a policeman was detailed to go there, drive
the boys away and threaten them with ar
rest. 1t is pretty small piece of bust
| ness"
The wheclmen of the country will watch
the progress of this fight with interest, for
similar cases are likely TO OCCUR anywhere
and the result will do for precedent.
| The wheelman will want to hold a national
parade some time and the Central Park will
not Toe a bad place to hold it in if they can
get there under satisfactory arrangement.
ALLEN Z. KELLY.